Slow-cooked beef stew

[Mobile Chicane]

Just thought I'd share a favourite recipe.

Ingredients (for 2-3 depending on appetites):

500g stewing steak, the gristlier the better, since this imparts an unctuousness to the final dish
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 celery sticks, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
100g diced pancetta
large wineglass of red wine
bay leaf
10 chestnut mushrooms, unpeeled, stalks trimmed

Method:

Fry off the pancetta until crispy and the fat rendered. Scoop out the pancetta into the slow cooker, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.

Sweat the onions, celery and carrot in the bacon fat on a low heat until translucent, adding goose fat if necessary to keep the thing lubricated - oo err! - and add to the cooker when done.

Roll the steak in seasoned flour and brown in the pan in small batches in goose fat or butter. Add to the cooker.

Add the wineglass of red wine to the pan and let it simmer, stirring to incorporate all the crusty bits.

Add to slow cooker with a bay leaf and enough water to come half-way up the meat.

Add 10 chestnut mushrooms (whole) and stir in.

Slow cook on the 'low' setting for 8 hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender.

Serve with buttery mash and steamed Savoy cabbage / greens.

Yum.

Don't write the slow cooker off as 'bin stew' - I use mine because it's the cheapest possible cooking method for cheap, tough meat. (Not to mention the nicest.)

Edited by Mobile Chicane on Sunday 21st February 22:34

[Dibble]

I used to be a great believer in flouring the meat before browning it off for stews, but I've now tried both methods (floured meat and non-floured meat), and never really found any difference in the end product.

If the sauce/gravy's looking a bit thin, I just chuck in a couple of tablespoons of plain flour. It does go lumpy, but don't panic, just keep it cooking, and the lumps do eventually cook out.

This obviously doesn't work if there's not enough time to cook the lumps out, so in this scenario I just lob in some cornflour/coldwater.

[Mobile Chicane]

Dibble said:

I used to be a great believer in flouring the meat before browning it off for stews, but I've now tried both methods (floured meat and non-floured meat), and never really found any difference in the end product.

If the sauce/gravy's looking a bit thin, I just chuck in a couple of tablespoons of plain flour. It does go lumpy, but don't panic, just keep it cooking, and the lumps do eventually cook out.

This obviously doesn't work if there's not enough time to cook the lumps out, so in this scenario I just lob in some cornflour/coldwater.

I prefer browning the meat in flour, but have been known to chuck in some cornflour / arrowroot to thicken if need be.

[Dibble]

Mobile Chicane said:

Dibble said:

I used to be a great believer in flouring the meat before browning it off for stews, but I've now tried both methods (floured meat and non-floured meat), and never really found any difference in the end product.

If the sauce/gravy's looking a bit thin, I just chuck in a couple of tablespoons of plain flour. It does go lumpy, but don't panic, just keep it cooking, and the lumps do eventually cook out.

This obviously doesn't work if there's not enough time to cook the lumps out, so in this scenario I just lob in some cornflour/coldwater.

I prefer browning the meat in flour, but have been known to chuck in some cornflour / arrowroot to thicken if need be.

As above, I used to, but could never tell the difference at the eating end (maybe it's just me!)

Liking the rest of the recipe though, some touches I've not tried before. Will have to give them a bash.

[Mobile Chicane]

Dibble said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Dibble said:

I used to be a great believer in flouring the meat before browning it off for stews, but I've now tried both methods (floured meat and non-floured meat), and never really found any difference in the end product.

If the sauce/gravy's looking a bit thin, I just chuck in a couple of tablespoons of plain flour. It does go lumpy, but don't panic, just keep it cooking, and the lumps do eventually cook out.

This obviously doesn't work if there's not enough time to cook the lumps out, so in this scenario I just lob in some cornflour/coldwater.

I prefer browning the meat in flour, but have been known to chuck in some cornflour / arrowroot to thicken if need be.

As above, I used to, but could never tell the difference at the eating end (maybe it's just me!)

Liking the rest of the recipe though, some touches I've not tried before. Will have to give them a bash.

Goose fat is the thing. Imparts an indefinable 'savouriness' to any dish. I use it a lot.

[F i F]

Sounds a good recipe but I would with 100% certainty substitute the stewing meat for shin beef, no question.

Also have tried both browning floured and non floured; prefer floured to which salt / ground pepper and some English mustard powder has been added.